Joseph s



No. 6II,3|4. Patented Sept. 27, I898,

. J. S. CULLINAN.

GAS AND OIL SEPARATOB.

(Application filed Apr. 9, 1897.|

(No Ilddel.)

milzafics: L. I 784,1; Z271; 44mm tached to the same Valve-stem g, and resting UNITED STATES PAT NT OFFICE.

JOSEPH S. CULLINAN, OF \VASIIINGTON, PENNSYLVANIA.

GAS AND OIL 8 EPA RATO R'.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 611,314, dated September 2'7, 1898.

' Application filed April 9, 1897. Serial No. 631,372. (No model.)

To a. whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOSEPH S. CULLINAN, a resident of Washington, in the county of Washington and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement inv Gas and Oil Separators; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to apparatus for separating liquids from gases.

The object of my invention is to provide a durable and simple separator that will take the oil as it comes from-the well, where it is applied to oil-wells, whether it flows at the rate of one gallon per minute or one hundred gallons per minute, and separate from it the gas contained in it, Without regard to the pressure of said gas, for the purpose of storing it or utilizing it as'fuelor light.

Myinvention consists in the novel features which are hereinafter claimed. 7

It also consists in providing a valve at the end of the gas-outlet'within the shell of the separator controlled by a float attached through a lever to the valve, which when the oil is at its proper level the weight of leverarm and float will keep the valve open and allow free passage of gas; but in case of the tank filling up with liquid the float will rise, closing the valve and keeping it closed until the liquid recedes,when the valve will resu me its normally open position.

4 To-enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will describe the same more fully, referring to the accompanying drawing, in which the figure is a sectional view of the separator and its connection.

Like letters indicate like parts in the figure.

The shell a, made of any suitable material, is connected with the well by the fluid-inlet pipe 6 and with the receiving-tank o by the fluid-outlet pipe (1, the shell itself being supported in position in any suitable manner. Within the shell a and attached to the fluidoutlet pipe at is the double-valve chamber e, having the double balanced valves f f,at-

normally in the valve-seats h h, respectively, their valves being .of like area, for the purpose hereinafter set forth. On the flange i of the double-valve chambereis attached the fulcrum j and the guide 70.- The leverlis attached by any suitable means to'the valvestem g. It then passes through the guide is and is attached at one end to the fulcrum j and atthe other end to the float m. This float m may be made of any suitable material and of any desired shape or size. As the valves ff are of the same area and the pressure therefore the same on the upper as on the lower valve, it is obvious that they can be perfectly controlled by the action of the float m, regardless of the pressure exerted on the fluid within the tankthatis to say,when the fluid is at its normal height the double valves f f will be open, and when it falls below the linethey will close, the action in both cases being automatic, and the discharge of the fluid into the receiving-tank thus regulated.

In the upper part of the shella is the safetyvalve pipe 12., which passes down through the upper closed end of. the shell. The safetyvalve pipe has on its upper end, outside of the shell, the valve-chamber 0, in which is the valve 10, held in place by a weight g of any desired dimensions. The piper connects this valve with the receiving-tank. When the fluid rises in the shell above the outletpipe p, an additional outlet is provided through the safetyvalve overflow-pipes n and r. The gas-outlet s is the one through which the gas is conveyed to boilers for fuel orto a gas-holder, according to circumstances.

As a further protection against the oil pass-.

ing out through the gas-outlet s in case the safety-valve overflow was taxed beyond its capacity I provide the valve tat the lower end of said gas-outlet pipe .9 within the tank, said valve being connected with a float it through thelever When the upper part of the tank is filled with gas, the weightof the lever and float keeps the valve topen and the gas escapes freely through the gas-outlet s; but when the oil rises to an undue height the float it rises and closes the gas-outlet until the receding oil allows the float to drop, and the gas-valve is thus opened and the gas permitted to escape.

The operation of my improved separator will be readily understood. Having been placed at any suitable point between the Well and the receiving-tank, the fluid is admitted through the inlet-pipe b. As long as the fi uid remains at a certain height the double valves in the valve-chamber ewill remain open, and when the fluid falls below a certain point they will close. Owing to the fact that the double valves have each the same area this action will be strictly automatic no matter how much the pressure may vary; but in case the fluid should come into the separator more rapidly than the capacity of the liquid-outlet pipe (I to discharge it into the receiving-tank then the excess is carried off through the safety overflow-pipe n and delivered into the receiving-tank through the communicating pipe r. lhe gas escapes through the gas-outlet pipe s, which may lead to the furnace under the boilers or any other desirable heatconsumer or storage-reservoir, and the oil is prevented from escaping by this outlet by the valve 25, operated by the float u. Normally the weight of the lever and float will be of sufficient weight to keep the valve open; but in case the fluid in the tank should rise too high the float will close this valve inthe gasoutlet pipe, and it will remain closed until the liquid recedes sufficiently to open it. I thus provide an automatic gas-outlet. All the valves are within the main separatorshell and being exposed to the action of the fluid are kept constantly lubricated and free from rust, as Well as being in a more convenient form for transporting from place to place.

\Vhile I have described my invention in connection with the separation of natural gas from oil, it is obvious that it may be used in separating gas from liquids generally.

WVhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In apparatus for separating liquids from 1 gases,the combination of a suitable shell having inlet and outlet ports, a valve controlling the liquid-outlet port, an overflow-pipe, and a weighted valve in said overflow-pipe, substantially as set forth.

2. In apparatus for separating liquids from gases, the combination of a suitable shell having inlet and outlet ports, an overflow-pipe extending into said shell, and a valve-controlled gas-outlet above the lower end of said overflowpipe, substantially as set forth.

' 3. In apparatus for separating liquids from gases, the combination of a suit-able shell having inlet and outlet ports, a valve controlling a liquid-outlet in the lower end of said shell and operated by a float, an overflow-pipe ex tending down into said shell, a gas-outlet above the lower end of said overflow-pipe, a valve controlling said gas-outlet and operated by a float, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I, the said JOSEPH S. CULLINAN, have hereunto set my hand.

JOSEPH S. CULLINAN. 

